High-spirited TikToker Jessie Dickson (@sacramentofoodforest) posted a short video showing what he does when he encounters invasive English ivy.
"When you see invasive plants on a hike, you remove them. … Don't buy English ivy. Plant native," he wrote.
@sacramentofoodforest When you see invasive plants on a hike you remove them. We out here always looking out for the native plant homies. Don't buy English ivy. Plant native . #california #nativeplants #conservation #invasivespecies #invasive #englishivy #hiking #trees #native #flora #nativeplanttok #plant #hike #landscape #winter #cali #botany #sacramento #fresno #invasiveplants #habitat #restoration #treelover ♬ stream new cobain by greenteaparty - GREENTEAPARTY
Dickson's video includes the text "When you're on a hike and see [an] invasive plant taking over a native oak tree" and popular audio from a 2014 rant by Fox commentator Jeanine Pirro, and he shows how he destroys ivy any chance he gets.
"My resolution?" Pirro says. "Airstrikes. Bomb them. Bomb them. Keep bombing them. Bomb them again."
Dickson flips the bird, then clips the ivy and tears strips of it away from the oak tree.
Dickson describes his videos as "ADHD-filled native plant conservation adventures with a botanist who can't spell." He often posts profanity-filled diatribes decrying the spread of invasive species in California. And he doesn't spare any of that distaste for English ivy.
Invasive.org explains that the plant is an "aggressive invader that threatens all vegetation levels of forested and open areas, growing along the ground as well as into the forest canopy."
The tree-strangling stuff covers foliage and prevents photosynthesis. It can also make trees too heavy to withstand storms.
The Noxious Weed Control Board in Washington suggests ridding spaces of English ivy by hand, with a blowtorch, or with herbicides.
Unfortunately, people continue to landscape with English ivy, often regretting it later.
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Definitely 👍 Rewilding your yard is an option that allows the ecosystem to stay in balance. Using native plants to beautify gardens can save water and money, and it encourages and supports pollinators, which benefits everyone since pollinators are directly connected to humans' food supply.
Commenters agreed with Dickson's strong stance.
"I had a tree in my front yard that was absolutely obliterated by ivy. By the time we took out the ivy the tree was literally hollow and just….dust," one person wrote.
Another said: "Omg yes!!! We have been digging [out] the English ivy around our house for years! It's creeping under our siding and in the basement windows. I hate it!!!"
Someone else found a unique learning opportunity for a relative, saying: "Watching this with my nephew. He threw up the middle finger and now I get to explain why we hate invasive species."
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